The Supreme Court has taken up the case involving the rape and murder of a doctor and will hear the matter on Tuesday. This development comes as the case draws national attention, with significant legal and public interest. The hearing is expected to address key issues surrounding the investigation and trial.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken up, on its own accord, the rape-murder case of a Kolkata doctor that has shocked the nation and deeply unsettled the medical community.
A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday.
This case is currently being heard by the Calcutta High Court, which last week ordered the investigation to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), despite the state government’s deadline for the police to complete their probe by Sunday.
The 31-year-old doctor murdered in the early hours of August 9. After a gruelling 36-hour shift, the second-year postgraduate student had gone to rest in an empty seminar room on Thursday night, as the hospital lacked an on-call room. She apparently fell asleep there.
Her partially clothed body, bearing multiple injuries, discovered the next morning.
The prime suspect, Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police assigned to the outpost at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, had access to all hospital departments. He arrested based on CCTV footage that captured him entering the building where the doctor found murdered. A Bluetooth headset, seen around his neck in the footage, was found near the victim’s body and was later confirmed to be paired with his phone.
Although the case is already under the scrutiny of the Calcutta High Court, which recently ordered the investigation to be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Supreme Court’s decision to step in highlights the gravity of the situation.
The High Court’s decision came despite the state government’s attempt to set a deadline for the police to conclude their probe by Sunday. The Supreme Court’s involvement signals the importance of ensuring a thorough and impartial investigation in a case that has captivated national attention.
In response to the rape-murder and the subsequent attack on RG Kar Hospital, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a 24-hour strike on Saturday.
Additionally, The petition before the Supreme Court highlights the critical need to balance the public’s right to information with the victim’s family’s right to privacy, as it seeks to prevent further harm caused by the widespread circulation of sensitive information on social media.